Thousands of commuters took the Viva bus strike
in stride morning, hopping on alternate bus routes or driving to work with
minimal delays, according to transit authorities.

Thousands of commuters took the Viva bus strike
in stride morning, hopping on alternate bus routes or driving to work with
minimal delays, according to transit authorities.

Police reported no major
blockages on public transit or roads, despite the early morning strike by some
160 Viva bus drivers that stopped a rapid-service transit line serving some
35,000 York Region residents.

Drivers picketing at Viva stations and stops held
up York Region Transit buses for three minutes each. The job action also pushed
many more passengers on popular YRT bus lines, such as the 99 along Yonge St.,
causing backlogs of up to 15 minutes by most estimates.

Commuters should expect more of the same on their
way home tonight: Viva drivers said they would continue to picket until the
company agreed to grant them sick days, one of the key issues in the labour
dispute that came to a head last night.

Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local
113 rejected a contract offer by 61 per cent, largely on quality-of-life
issues, drivers said this morning.

So far, no new talks have been scheduled between
the union and Veolia Transportation Inc., the private company that runs the
service for York Region.

"It’s not about the money," said Oliver
Vega, who was among the first crews of drivers to join the company when it
launched three years ago. Though the union sought equal pay with their YRT and
TTC counterparts, most drivers instead focused on sick leave and better working
hours, he said.

“For three years we’ve been fighting for this,”
he said. “We’ve had no sick days at all.”

The drivers walked off the job at 4 a.m. today
after rejecting a settlement reached last weekend.

"Veolia management knew that the strike
would begin (Thursday) if their offer was turned down and I have informed them
of the results of the vote," said Bob Kinnear, president of ATU Local 113.
"We are a democratic union and our members have spoken."

Many passengers grumbled about having little time
to prepare for the strike, announced yesterday evening after the vote. But the
majority said they would still make it to work, albeit slightly more slowly.

Viva usually runs 90 rapid-transit buses on five
routes, including Yonge St. and Highway 7, with links to the TTC at Don Mills,
Finch and Downsview stations.

While the remaining two-thirds of York Region
Transit’s service will continue to operate, "We have very limited local
service in those Viva corridors," said general manager Don Gordon.

York police said today’s strike would cause more
traffic congestion, but was unlikely to bring the region to a standstill.

“Only one of two bus services are down,” noted
Const. Mike Lacroix “and most people in York Region have cars.”

YRT buses were packed this morning as they took
on stranded Viva riders.

"It was standing room only," said Scott
A. Bennett, who decided to work from home after he saw the cramped buses.
"There were so many people on the bus that the front windshield was all
fogged up."

York Region Transit drivers, who are represented
by a different local of the same union, appeared to be supportive of the
strike, and many honked their approval as they drove by.

In Toronto, police said pickets at the TTC’s
Finch station were blocking an area where York buses arrive and depart, but
that TTC passengers were not being delayed by the strike.

The labour action follows months of talks and an
announcement on Sunday that the tentative agreement had been reached.

The union and Veolia have been negotiating since
April. Drivers were seeking a 3 per cent wage increase in each year of a
three-year contract. They make about $20.75 an hour after three years of
employment, about $5 less than counterparts in the Toronto Transit Commission,
but not much less than other York Region transit drivers.

Kinnear could not be reached for comment last
night.

The 164 Veolia drivers only joined the TTC local
in February, after the Ontario Labour Board ruled the drivers had not been
properly certified by another ATU local. The contract negotiated by that local
was being used as the basis for bargaining a new deal, sources told the Star.

York University is suggesting students who take
Viva look into carpool services like Smart Commute. Student parking will
operate on a first-come-first-served basis at the school’s visitor lots.

York Region officials have urged commuters to use
carpoolzone.ca or to call the YRT/Viva Customer Service Centre, at
1-866-668-3978.

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